Mrs Ahmed Shehu

09

SURAIYA

August, 2022.

My ringtone disturbs my sleep and it takes a lot of strength to not insult the person calling even though I have no idea who it is yet. Pushing away the covers, I roll over and unplug it from charging. My stomach drops when I glance at the screen.

It's Mum. I should have seen this coming. Everyone has been deathly silent since Eid.

I sit up and accept the call, wondering why I didn't disconnect from the Wi-Fi after scrolling through social media this morning. If I had done that, I would have seen her missed call when I was back online and I wouldn't have to deal with all of this. It's barely 8AM for God's sake.

"Assalam Alaykum, Mére."

She's quiet for a near minute and I wait. She then exhales loudly. "Waalaykum Salam, Suraiya. Je suis surpris que vous ayez encore mon numero de telephone. I'm surprised you still have my phone number, seeing how you've still not bothered to call since you left. You didn't even bother coming for Eid and you didn't try to tell anyone."

Patience, Suraiya. Please stay patient. I breathe in and out. "I texted you and Dad. I stated it clearly that I wasn't coming home for Eid."

"You know how busy your father and I are, Suraiya. You know we hardly check texts."

I scoff. "That's a lie, Mum, and you know it."

"Do not talk that way to me, young lady! I'm still your mother."

I should apologize but I can't bring myself to do so. I didn't say anything wrong. She and Dad are retired but contracted medical professionals now and when they're not working, they're on their phones. They hardly check texts? Oh please. If it were any of my siblings, they'd check texts and reply. But it's me. My texts can go unchecked, just the way it's been all these years.

I sigh, tired of everything. This wasn't how I envisioned my morning. "How can I help you, Mere?"

"I can't call you, is that it?"

"That's not what I said."

"But that is what you insinuated."

I keep my mouth shut and the silence stretches until she decides to break it. She clears her throat. "Vos tantes et cousins la-bas au Nigeria veulent vous recontrer. Your aunts and cousins there in Nigeria want to meet you."

A brow of mine rises. "Why? How do they even know I'm here."

"Word travels fast, Suraiya. Were you hoping to be in Nigeria and they won't find out?"

"And were you hoping that you telling them I'm here would encourage me to go and see them?"

"Suraiya Shehu!"

Oh God. "Mum, I don't know what you're playing at but –"

"Suraiya, you have wonderful cousins that are of marriageable age. Cousins who are more than ready to settle with you and your wild spirit. Cousins who don't mind that you don't want to start a life of your own because you'd rather go from house to house like a homeless beggar to take care of kids that don't belong to you!"

The smile that appears on my face isn't nice; I don't have to look in the mirror to know it. Why am I not surprised? Why does it still hurt so much even when I didn't expect much from her in the first place? I no longer expect much from them but how long is this going to go on for?

"If you're not going to stop being a child and being stubborn, then we should do it for you. You've dilly-dallied enough, Suraiya. We've allowed you go away with almost everything but this has to stop. You will go and see your aunts and cousins and you will start making plans to settle down with one of them. If you don't –"